A. Cavalli et al., Three-dimensional model of the cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1): Ab initioactive site parameters for molecular dynamics studies of CDKs, PROTEINS, 45(4), 2001, pp. 478-485
Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) is an interesting target for potential ant
icancer drugs, and its three-dimensional (3D) structure is presently unknow
n. The purpose of this work was to build a 3D model of CDK1, which could be
used in drug design studies. The protein 3D structure was homology modeled
, based on the known crystal structure of CDK2, and new nonbonded parameter
s for the Mg2+ coordination complex were developed by means of ab initio qu
antum chemical calculations. These parameters were both obtained and valida
ted using the CDK2 structure as reference, and then they were used for the
refinement of the CDK1 model. The resulting CDK1 structure was satisfactory
and stable at room temperature, as shown by the molecular dynamics simulat
ions carried out over a I-ns time interval on the entire protein. A number
of representative kinases in the active and inactive form, including the in
active CDK1 modeled in this work, were compared. The results illustrate the
conformational variability of the activation loop of the inactive form of
the kinases and suggest a way for selectively targeting the single CDKs. (C
) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.